Battle

This is a unique trick-taking game in which gambling and bluffing factor in to create a game like never before! Played with 2-5 players, this game is always enjoyable. For more information, go to our site, goldengamesmm.webs.com under Battle. There is a tutorial and vital information on playing the game. There are also directions additional to the tutorial precisely describing each and every part of the game. We hope you enjoy, and have a great time playing! (Directions are below also)


Battle - Directions

Objective:

Receive twenty tokens or more by conquering rounds and scoring the highest amount for each hand.

Game Setup:

1. Have each player roll the special battle die. Whoever rolls the highest shuffles and deals for the first round.
2. The dealer deals out ten cards to each player, and an extra hand of ten cards placed to the side.
3. Each player can then look at their cards an organize them how they please. It is suggested that each army should be placed together to make playing easier.
4. Deal out eight chips to each player. Allow the player left to the dealer to go first and then start the battle!

How To Play:

The rules of this game are actually quite simple. To better understand how to play the game, players should first understand the meaning of each card. Below is a picture of an ordinary card. When looking at the card, all players should be able to see a couple things: a red warrior, a number in the top left corner (6), and a number in the bottom right corner (17). On any card, the upper left number represents the card value. The lower right corner will always represent points for winning a trick. Finally, the color of the warrior and the icons around the numbers is the card’s color, or suit.
The game is played in a “one person after another” fashion. Each player plays one card from their hand, and then the next person plays one from their hand, and so on. Whatever suit (color) the first person’s card is at the start of each trick, everybody MUST follow suit until the trick is taken.
Whoever has the highest card value takes the trick. They then place their winning card on the top of the trick and place it off to the side right next to them. Whoever takes the trick leads off (starts) the next hand. Players keep doing this until there are no more cards left to play. When every player runs out of cards, everyone counts up their points (found on the bottom right corner). Whoever has the highest amount of points wins the round.

Cutting Suits:

Since each player must always follow suit, it is possible that a player might not have the suit that has been played. (For example, if a red warrior 7 is played, you might not have any red warriors.) So, you have to “cut suit” and play a different suited card, like a blue or a green warrior. There is no better suit, but some suits do trump other ones.
This is how trumping works… Red warriors beat blue warriors, blue warriors beat green warriors, and green warriors beat red warriors. This means that every suit wins to one suit, and loses to one suit. So in the example provided of a player not having any red warrior cards, they can play a green warrior and then they would be winning the trick, even if the value were one. A player can also cut suit with a blue warrior in that example, he just would not be winning because red trumps blue, even if the blue value is higher. Remember: Cutting suit can ONLY be used if a player has none of the suit played.

Black Knights:

A black knight is not just a regular warrior, and it is not involved in the trumping rotation (how every warrior beats one warrior and loses to one warrior). What the black knight does, is acts, or becomes a different colored warrior. For example, if a red five is played, a player can play a black six and win the hand because six beats five. However, unlike the rotation, the card value matters. So if that player played a one instead of a five, he would have lost.

How To Win The Game:

As previously stated, the object of the game is to receive fifteen or more tokens. The first round, each player gets five tokens. When they get their hand, they bet on it. Everyone is entitled to their own bet, so there can be various bets on the table. However, players must NOT merge their chips into a pot. The reasoning of this is because to win chips, you have to score the most points of the round. But you do not receive everyone’s bets. You only get your bet back. So if a player bets three and win the round, they would get the three you put in, and three extra.

Tricks, Rounds, and Games:

There are three terms that are commonly used throughout this pamphlet: tricks, rounds, and games. Albeit these terms might mean the same thing to you, they are very different.
A trick is a hand of one, two, three, four, or five cards (depending on how many players you are playing with) that you take in for future scoring. You place your winning card on the top, and then you play the next trick. The person who wins the trick goes first the following trick. A round is ten tricks. By the end of a round, you should be out of cards. When this happens, everyone counts up their points, and the winner receives what they betted. If no one has fifteen tokens, then a new round begins. A game is the overall match. So, when someone reaches the goal of fifteen tokens, then they win the whole entire game.

Special Cards:

Amongst the deck, there are still various cards that were not mentioned. These cards are extremely important to the game, and it is vital that they are included.

Battle Card: The battle card is a very special card. When it is your turn, if you have a battle card, you can play it, no matter what suit. The other players continue to play out the trick, and when it is over, you determine who won the trick. Then, you each roll the die once and who ever rolls the lower number is the loser. The winner takes in the trick and receives one token from every player.

Eagle Card: In the beginning of the game, the dealer was supposed to deal out an extra, untouched of looked at hand. Before anyone goes, if a player has the eagle card, they can play it and swap their hand with the extra hand. No one gets to look at their old hand. However, if the player does not want to swap their hand, they can trade the eagle card to someone who wants it. In return, the player get two tokens and randomly picks a card from the person’s old hand. If no players want to trade, then the eagle card is useless. The only other time where the eagle card can be used is to block other cards. If the eagle card is played on top of any card, the card cancels it out. Then, the player who threw the eagle card wins the trick, but is rewarded no points at the end of the game.

Bomb Card: This card can be played on any suit. The player with the card “bombs” another player and the player must give them three tokens immediately after the trick. However, if that player has the eagle card then he can throw that and reverse the bomb. Then, the player with the bomb has to pay three tokens to the player with the eagle card. The player throwing the bomb must only bomb the person with the most tokens.

Angel Cards: Throughout the deck, there are three very important cards: angel wings. There is a red angel, a blue angel, and a green angel, each representing their colored suit. With angel wings, you MUST follow suit. So if someone plays a blue warrior, you can only play a blue angel. When you play this angel card, the rest of the players go until the trick is over. Whoever has the angel card takes the highest scoring card in the trick and takes it for themself.
The only way an angel card can be beaten is by other special cards. If an eagle card is played after the angel card, the person with the eagle card takes the trick, except doesn’t win any points. If a crossbones card is played after the angel card, then the person with the angel card loses ten points. If the bomb card is played after the angel card, the person with the angel card is automatically bombed, and therefore must pay four tokens after the round.

Crossbones Card: The crossbones card is a very special and mean card to play. It can be played on any suit and at any time. The crossbones card, when played, singles out the winner of the trick. After being played down, the trick continues if you are not the last person. Then, the person with the highest card, like usual, takes in the trick. However, instead of putting their card on top, they put the crossbones card on top. So, when they go to count up their points, they do not receive points for the crossbones trick. They lose ten points instead. So, when played, the crossbones card gives a subtraction of ten points.

Running Out Of Tokens:

Running out of all your tokens is a rare, but possible thing. If a player bets all of their tokens, and does not win the round, he/she, therefore, has no tokens left. When this happens, the bank gives the player one token. If the player manages to lose that token, he/she is eliminated from the game permanently. This occurs very rarely.
If all players lose all of their tokens, the player who has tokens wins automatically. Usually, all players remain for the duration of the game. Another way of playing is allowing the bank to continuously give out one token so people never get out, but then high betting is used freely.

Betting Rules:

In the beginning of the round, every player must place a bet. However, there are multiple rules when placing your bet.

1. Every player must place a bet.
2. Bets must be a minimum of two tokens unless in peril (explained later)
3. Bets must be a maximum of all your tokens. *No lending tokens!
4. Every player is entitled to his or her own bet. Players do not have to raise their bets because other players have different bets.



Perils:

In the betting rules, the word “peril” is used. In Battle, a peril is when a player has only one or two tokens. If you have two tokens, you are in minor peril. If you have only one token, you are in peril. In minor peril, a bet is still required, but only one token must be played. However, if a player in minor peril chooses to play two tokens, they can.
If a player is in peril, they do not have to bet at all. Again, they may bet their last token if they want to. If that player wins the hand, and they did not bet anything, they do not receive any tokens.

Have Fun Battling!!!